Abe apologizes, feels Japan responsible over 'comfort women' issue

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a recent interview with U.S. magazine Newsweek, has repeated his apology over the fact that foreign women were coerced into wartime sexual servitude for Japanese military servicemen and said Japan feels responsible for it, according to a Japanese official.

''As Japan's prime minister, I am extremely sorry that they were made to endure such pain. We feel responsible over the situation in which the women had to exist as 'comfort women' and endure such hardship,'' Abe told Newsweek ahead of his trip next week to the United States, his first since assuming office in September.

''We must always be humble (in dealing with) our history and constantly give profound thought on our responsibility,'' he said, reiterating his government's position to stand by a 1993 statement by then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono that acknowledged and apologized for the Japanese military's involvement in coercing the women into sexual slavery.

Abe's U.S. trip comes amid rising global attention to the issue as the U.S. Congress debates a resolution seeking an apology for the women from Tokyo. Abe drew flak, especially from the foreign media, when he said recently there are no documents to prove the Japanese military physically coerced women to provide sex for its soldiers during World War II, citing a government position paper.

In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, Abe stressed there is a need for Japan to secure a solid defense capability and strengthen the Japan-U.S. bilateral alliance in light of China's growing military power.

Abe, in both interviews conducted Tuesday in Tokyo, underscored the importance of strengthening the ''unwavering'' Japan-U.S. bilateral alliance as extremely valuable for not only security in East Asia but the world as well.

Abe stressed his idea to promote research on exercising the right of collective self-defense, which is banned in line with the Japanese government's interpretation of its pacifist Constitution, the official said.

In reference to the future role of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, Abe said the changing security environment for Japan and the world calls Japan to contribute to global challenges, and from this standpoint he wants to study the legal technicalities and interpretation of Japan's Constitution.

The government has been saying Japan inherently has the right to collective self-defense, or the right to use its forces when an ally comes under attack, under international law but is prohibited from exercising it according to its interpretation of the Constitution.

Abe told the Wall Street Journal that Japan has no intention of increasing its defense budget to go along with China's military budget, which has grown in past years and lacks transparency.

But Abe was quoted by the official as saying, Japan ''should always have a solid defense power'' and a stronger Japan-U.S. alliance, and toward such an end, there is a need to straighten out the legal technicalities with respect to the Constitution.

Abe also renewed his resolve to revise Japan's U.S.-drafted Constitution, saying it is important for the Japanese people themselves to write their own constitution to befit the times, according to the official.